Chapter 4 of Sefer Mishlei is a chapter of transmission: the father transmits the path of wisdom to his son, describing step by step how to acquire it, how to elevate it, and what reward awaits the one who holds fast to it. In this section, we examine the fundamental difference between the acquisition of wisdom (chochmah) and the acquisition of understanding (binah); the levels of attachment to Torah - from exalting it to a crown of glory; the difference between a path (derech) and a track (ma'agal), between walking and running; and finally, the warning against the path of the wicked and the way of evildoers.
רֵאשִׁית חׇכְמָה קְנֵה חׇכְמָה וּבְכׇל־קִנְיָנְךָ קְנֵה בִינָה׃ (ז) - "The beginning of wisdom: acquire wisdom, and with all your acquisitions, acquire understanding." (7)
We have discussed previously that chochmah has no preliminary premises through which one can arrive at it, unless it is received from Hashem or from the mouth of a prophet. We explained at length that a person cannot determine on his own whom to treat harshly and whom to pity. Some might say that in a given situation there is a mitzvah to show mercy, while others might say the opposite - here it is a mitzvah to act harshly. There is left and there is right, there are opposing opinions in every direction, and no human being can decide between them. From whom can one receive the correct path of conduct and the proper approach? Only from the Master of wisdom, only from the Holy One, Blessed is He. It is impossible to arrive at this through independent deduction, contemplation, or empirical testing.
Therefore the verse says: "The beginning of wisdom: acquire wisdom." The starting point of wisdom is wisdom itself. It has no external beginning, and there is nothing else from which one can begin in order to reach it. The laws of wisdom that you receive from God - acquire them. And the term "acquisition" (kinyan) always denotes receiving from someone else: receive it from God.
In contrast, binah (understanding): its beginning is not binah itself, but rather other things. One contemplates chochmah and thereby attains binah. That is, from what one received from Hashem through chochmah, one reflects, draws further conclusions, and reaches additional applications. From every detail of wisdom, one can deduce further insights, and that is the definition of binah - it stems from contemplation. Thus, binah has premises and starting points, and its starting point is what was received through chochmah.
This is the meaning of: "And with all your acquisitions, acquire understanding." Through all of one's acquisitions - all the types of knowledge and disciplines present in human intellect - one can acquire binah: to contemplate and deduce one thing from another. If a person possesses the fundamentals of engineering, the natural sciences, or medicine, he can delve deeper and deeper from them to arrive at new conclusions. This is the function of science: to observe phenomena and deduce conclusions from them. Acquire binah using everything at your disposal, and then you add upon what you originally received.
Indeed, in the acquisition of binah, premises are essential. Someone once asked: Who is greater, Einstein or the inventor of the wheel? The inventor of the wheel is greater. If you consider it, what did the inventor of the wheel actually do? It seems so simple. And Einstein - just trying to comprehend the formula he developed is daunting. Yet nevertheless, that first person invented the wheel. Similarly: who is greater, the inventor of the wheel or the inventor of the spaceship? Could there ever be a spaceship without the invention of the wheel? Such a thing is impossible.
It turns out that whoever invented the spaceship is like a dwarf standing on the shoulders of a giant. There is a giant, and the dwarf stands perched on top of him shouting, "Look how tall I am!" Of course you are high up, when there is a giant of such stature beneath you. But let us see you start from ground level. Every discovery, every scientific invention, and every technological development is built upon the foundations laid by those who came before you, and you merely added a single tier. You stand on the 102nd floor and feel very tall, but someone built those 102 floors without receiving any credit or commendation. This is the meaning of the verse: binah is what one acquires from existing foundations, and one must contemplate them in order to acquire it.
סַלְסְלֶהָ וּתְרוֹמְמֶךָּ תְּכַבֵּדְךָ כִּי תְחַבְּקֶנָּה׃ (ח) - Exalt her, and she will raise you up; she will bring you honor when you embrace her. (8)
First, the verse comes to illustrate the loftiness and significance of wisdom. According to the Malbim, "Salseleha" (exalt her) stems from the root of "mesilah" (highway) - as in "solu hamesilah" (cast up the highway). What is a mesilah? A highway is built like a paved road, and a road is always elevated above ground level. Before paving a road, workers build up the elevation, laying down earth and gravel, and pave over that. You will never see a sunken road, for with every rain it would flood. Therefore, "solu hamesilah" means to raise up and elevate the highway. The same applies to "salseleha": if you elevate wisdom, glorify it, and value it properly - measure for measure, "she will raise you up"; the Torah itself will elevate you.
And afterwards: "She will bring you honor when you embrace her." If you attach yourself to it with love - corresponding to what was stated earlier, "Do not forsake her" and "love her" - for "salseleha" is not yet in the category of love. But if you reach the level of "when you embrace her," embracing wisdom - meaning that you possess a deep love and an intense desire to increase your knowledge in wisdom, in intellectual truths, and in the fear of Hashem - then "she will bring you honor." As is known, for those who possess wisdom, it is their entire life, for "they are our life and the length of our days." At every given moment, during any free time, such a person desires and yearns to engage in wisdom - "she shall be the wife of your bosom, in her love you will be enraptured always."
This can be explained by way of a parable: there are people who exalt the Torah with their voices. "The Torah is truth, and it is important, and truly wonderful!" But when was the last time you opened a sefer? This means it is not enough to have "salseleha"; one also needs "when you embrace her." To glorify and elevate it is wonderful, but when was the last time you embraced the Torah - meaning, brought it into practical life and began fulfilling it? Through this, one merits "she will bring you honor." And if one only exalts it - that also has its reward, for the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not withhold the reward of any creature, even the reward for pleasant speech, and even then it will elevate you. But if you embrace it with a strong bond and with love, you will merit both "she will bring you honor" and "she will guard you."
תִּתֵּן לְרֹאשְׁךָ לִוְיַת־חֵן עֲטֶרֶת תִּפְאֶרֶת תְּמַגְּנֶךָּ׃ (ט) - She will place a garland of grace upon your head; a crown of glory she will bestow upon you. (9)
Through this, wisdom will add love and lovingkindness to you, until it becomes a garland of grace upon your head. "A garland of grace" (livyat chen) is an elevation higher than "salseleha" and higher than "when you embrace her" - it is a grace that permanently accompanies (melaveh) the person. After "exalt her, and she will raise you up" and after "she will bring you honor when you embrace her," if you continue on this path you will merit even more: it will add love and kindness to you until you find favor and good understanding in the eyes of God and man.
"Upon your head" - the head symbolizes the faculties of intellect and understanding, in contrast to the heart, which often symbolizes desires and passions. Upon these intellectual faculties will rest a garland of grace, meaning you will possess good sense, a refined intellect, a healthy and upright mind to examine matters and act properly and fittingly.
This can be seen today in the clearest possible way: unfortunately, people have lost their common sense. Anyone who observes will see that in the past, even simple people, who were not great Torah scholars, possessed common sense and sound logic. But today, people need guidance on how to eat, how to shop, and how to dress. There is coaching - a personal coach to explain how to dress, how to manage your credit card, and how to use it prudently: do not buy this, postpone that to next month, perhaps put this on installments, do you really need this, maybe buy it where it is cheaper and a smarter purchase. Did your grandfather need coaching to manage? Why has a generation arisen that needs someone to think in its place?
The verse tells us: a person who possesses Torah, a person who is close to and fulfills the will of Hashem - "she will place a garland of grace upon your head," you will have sound judgment. But the further one drifts away, the more distorted and confused the intellect becomes. "I feel like it" - and so what if you feel like it? Does that mean you should go spend four thousand shekels when your bank overdraft is already five thousand shekels? "I feel like it." That is what happens when a person does not learn to control his desires and cravings. But a person who learns Torah and possesses self-control - that is "she will place a garland of grace upon your head": you have grace and you also have sound sense. And sound sense prevents a person from doing foolish things on the mundane level as well, not only in the spiritual realm.
A crown of glory is the next stage, after your head has received a chaplet of grace. Who was crowned? A person of distinction; as a sign of his stature, they would place a crown on his head. "A crown of glory will deliver to you" - it will shield you, as it were, envelop you, and clothe you in a crown of glory for generations to come. This is greater than honor and grace, for honor and grace may belong only to that specific generation and time, but one who truly attains this level is privileged to have a crown of glory protect and adorn him.
שְׁמַע בְּנִי וְקַח אֲמָרָי וְיִרְבּוּ לְךָ שְׁנוֹת חַיִּים׃ (י) - Hear, my son, and receive my words, and the years of your life will be many. (10)
"Hear, my son" - and not only hear, but also accept, "receive my words." And through this, "the years of your life will be many." We have already explained that there are two dimensions mentioned in the Torah: the concept of length of days, meaning days of goodness, where one experiences no troubles and does not suffer from wars and afflictions; and secondly, the actual quantity of days, which is "years of life" - that his years should be many and long.
בְּדֶרֶךְ חׇכְמָה הֹרֵיתִיךָ הִדְרַכְתִּיךָ בְּמַעְגְּלֵי־יֹשֶׁר׃ (יא) - In the way of wisdom I have instructed you; I have guided you in the circuits of uprightness. (11)
As we have explained several times, a derech (path) is the straight, direct road. A ma'agal (circuit), by contrast, is a route that leads to the very same destination, but via a roundabout, circular course. And sometimes, a person needs to reach the exact destination precisely by way of a circuit.
The straight road is the middle path, the mean path described by the Rambam, which is the desired and successful path: balancing between cruelty and excessive mercy, between brazenness and bashfulness, between stinginess and extravagance, between someone prone to anger and someone who feels nothing like a corpse. In every character trait, there is a middle path that is the recommended way. But what should a person do if he has a natural inclination toward one of the extremes, such as a heart drawn toward cruelty? Just like a piece of iron that one wishes to straighten after it has bent - one does not merely bend it back to straightness, but bends it past the center toward the opposite extreme, and then it settles back into straightness. So says the Rambam: a person who wishes to reach the middle path, but finds himself at an extreme, should move toward the opposite extreme. If he feels that by nature he is stingy and miserly, he should give and bestow far beyond his natural inclination, more than is even strictly required, being lavishly generous and giving freely. After conducting himself this way for a time, he can return to the middle path.
The same applies to children. Some children are naturally very possessive and stingy; they do not want to give or share. For such children, one should buy candies and treats specifically for them to hand out - to distribute in their classroom and kindergarten. This trains the child to give, and after a certain period, he becomes accustomed to giving from what is his.
It turns out that the way to reach the straight path is sometimes via a circuit, a roundabout route. In truth, the straight path is the middle path, but sometimes it is difficult to reach it directly, so one arrives by a roundabout route - meaning, going by way of a path that is seemingly unbalanced, such as unbounded compassion, and through it eventually arriving at the middle path. However, there is danger in this: sometimes a person goes to an extreme and risks getting stuck there, never ultimately reaching the central path. When walking on the central path, the chances of stumbling are smaller, but when heading toward an extreme in order to arrive at upright balance in the end, that is the roundabout circuit, and one might get trapped in the loop and become lost. There, one needs someone to guide him on the proper path all the more.
Therefore, pay close attention to the phrasing of the verse: "In the way of wisdom I have instructed you" - to walk in the way of wisdom, which is the middle, central path, instruction alone suffices; I have taught you how things should be done. But beyond that: "I have guided you in the circuits of uprightness." Guidance, explains the Malbim, goes beyond mere instruction, as we say: "Teach me, Hashem, Your way, and lead me in an even path." On the path of wisdom, instruction is enough; but in the circuits of uprightness, where danger lurks, you need a guide. That is why it says, "I have guided you" - so that from the circuit, you will ultimately arrive at uprightness.
בְּלֶכְתְּךָ לֹא־יֵצַר צַעֲדֶךָ וְאִם־תָּרוּץ לֹא תִכָּשֵׁל׃ (יב) - "When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble." (12)
Sometimes a person walks along the path of the Torah at a normal, steady pace: fulfilling the mitzvot according to what is required of him, following the strict letter of the law, exactly as written in the Shulchan Aruch. Regarding this, the verse says, "When you walk, your step will not be hampered" - that you should not become lazy in fulfilling the mitzvot, but perform them properly and not refrain from fulfilling them out of sluggishness.
At other times, a person does more than what is strictly required, adopting a path of piety (chassidut), vigilance, and meticulousness. Such a person is no longer just walking; he is running. One who simply observes what is written and is careful about what is explicitly mandated is called a "walker," whereas one who goes beyond his basic obligations is called a "runner." And what is the danger for one who runs? That he might fall. Therefore, it says: even if you walk the path of piety and fervor, adding fences, safeguards, holiness, and asceticism - be careful not to stumble, for there the risks of stumbling are far greater.
A person who acts strictly according to what is written in the Shulchan Aruch does not make many mistakes: it is written to do this, and he did this. But for someone practicing extra piety - "an ignoramus cannot be pious." When you wish to practice chassidut, meaning taking on stringencies beyond what the halachah requires, you might make mistakes and fall into foolish, misguided piety, which can lead to stumbling and causing harm. For example, a person may want to wake up before dawn at an early hour and begin learning with great enthusiasm and joy - wonderful, what beautiful piety! But if people are sleeping nearby and you learn loudly with fervor and joy, you may be violating the prohibition of disturbing their sleep. That is foolish piety. If you want to practice chassidut, go to the beit knesset, to a place where you will not disturb anyone.
Therefore, it says: "And if you run, you will not stumble." If you are guided by the Torah, having left behind the status of an ignoramus, and you do what the Torah instructs - "I have instructed you in the way of wisdom; I have guided you in paths of uprightness" - then even when you run, you will not stumble. You will not become like Elisha ben Avuyah (Acher), who entered the Pardes and reached lofty heights, yet ultimately "cut down the saplings." When one runs, there is a risk of breaking and stumbling; but through the path of Torah and proper guidance, even when you run, you will not stumble.
הַחֲזֵק בַּמּוּסָר אַל־תֶּרֶף נִצְּרֶהָ כִּי־הִיא חַיֶּיךָ׃ (יג) - "Hold fast to discipline, do not let go; guard it, for it is your life." (13)
As we learned above, the inclination of man's heart opposes wisdom and pulls him toward evil: if wisdom says to show mercy, the yetzer says to be cruel; if wisdom says to love, the yetzer says to hate; if wisdom says to give and bestow, the yetzer says to be stingy and withhold; if wisdom says to minimize desires and pleasures, the yetzer says to multiply them. The inclination of man's heart is evil from his youth, naturally pulling him to pursue his heart's desires contrary to the virtue of wisdom.
What must a person do? He must bind his soul's forces and desires so they do not stray from the ways of wisdom. This is "Hold fast to mussar (discipline), do not let go." What is mussar? It shares a root with ma'asar (imprisonment). A person must restrain himself and surround himself with fences, so as not to reach a point where his innate desires pull him toward things that oppose wisdom.
And how does a person hold fast to mussar? By engaging in Torah - "Behold, the fear of the Lord is wisdom's discipline." If a person cultivates fear of Heaven, knowing that there is a Judge and there is justice, and that he will eventually give an accounting for every single deed - that is mussar. That is what confines him, preventing the forces of desire and selfish cravings from overpowering the higher powers and aspirations of the soul. The fear of Hashem within him is what holds him steady.
The Malbim notes a precise distinction: there is a difference between ochez (holding) and machzik (gripping firmly). One merely holds (ochez) a cup, but grips (machzik) the leash of a dog that is trying to pull away and escape. To "hold fast" (lehachzik) means to grasp something forcefully so it will not slip away, especially something whose nature is to pull free. We see this in common speech as well: "I held onto him tightly," or "Hold him in custody." Holding something firmly is necessary because the object itself wants to break free.
This is why it says, "Hold fast to discipline." If you let go for even a single moment, the entire structure will collapse. Everything you built through the toil of months and years can collapse in an instant. Why? Because the yetzer hara never rests; it constantly pulls, and if you are not holding on tight at all times, it will slip away. Therefore: "do not let go" - take care never to loosen your grip, even for a moment.
And through this, "guard her, for she is your life" - guard wisdom, an expression of safekeeping, that the principles of wisdom be guarded within one's heart. "For she is your life," because wisdom gives life to its possessor and enlivens the soul. Through this, you will not live a merely animalistic, physical existence; rather, your life will be a spiritual life - a life in which one climbs ever higher on the rungs of the fear of Heaven, rather than merely pursuing lusts and physical pleasures. This wisdom gives you life in this world and in the World to Come.
בְּאֹרַח רְשָׁעִים אַל־תָּבֹא וְאַל־תְּאַשֵּׁר בְּדֶרֶךְ רָעִים׃ (יד) - Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not tread upon the way of the evil (14).
We have explained several times the difference between an orach (path) and a derech (road). A derech is the major thoroughfare, the highway running between cities, from which smaller roads branch off leading to the villages - and these are called an orach. There is also a nativ (trail), which belongs to private individuals, unlike a derech and an orach, which are public. The road leading from the main highway to a village is called an orach, while the path leading from the village to your private home is called a nativ.
Before we explain what "the path of the wicked" and "the way of the evil" mean, we must understand the difference between resha'im (the wicked) and ra'im (the evil). The Malbim explains: resha'im are people who actively commit evil deeds - one who steals, robs, plunders, commits adultery, and does all kinds of evil actions in practice. In contrast, with ra'im - such a person may not commit evil in practice, but he is evil inside; his very essence is corrupted. He is a heretic (apikores), denying Hashem, Blessed be He, and denying spiritual reality. Such a person is called evil even if he never commits an overt crime. He may be a professor or a doctor with a spotless police record who has never broken the law - a rasha you are not, but ra you certainly are.
The reverse can also be true: a person who is a rasha, who steals and robs and commits adultery and performs all kinds of wicked acts, yet deep down does not deny God. Such a person is called a rasha, but not ra. A ra is someone with a corrupted intellect, who denies Hashem and spiritual reality - a heretic. A rasha is someone who actually commits wicked deeds.
The Malbim adds: each wicked person has his own unique path (orach), the specific byway upon which he travels. One wicked person walks the path of murder, another the path of immorality, and another the path of theft. Concerning this, the verse says, "Do not enter the path of the wicked" - for an orach is not the central highway, but a branching path, and each wicked person has his own specific path through which he sins. But the evil ones have a "way" (derech) - an established framework that denies Divine Providence and claims there is no Creator. This is a paved road, an organized ideology, not a random byway.
What is the meaning of "and do not seek happiness (ve'al te'asher) in the way of the evil"? The Malbim explains that wherever osher (happiness or affirmation) is mentioned, it refers to spiritual happiness; it does not mean physical nirvana, but the fulfillment of the soul. The idea is as follows: the evil thinkers of ancient times, the heretics, reached their heresy through philosophizing. As is well known, the Rambam debated extensively with the philosophers, which is why he wrote Moreh Nevuchim (The Guide for the Perplexed). During the Middle Ages, philosophy was a central topic of discourse, and whenever people sought to prove the truth of the Torah or debate against heresy, the medium was philosophy.
Concerning this, the verse says: do not think that by following the path of philosophy you will find true happiness, or that through their investigations and speculations you will arrive at faith. Know that along the road where the evil walk - namely, the philosophical path - you will not reach happiness. There were people who began delving into philosophy, and when asked why they were doing so, they answered: to prove the existence of the Creator. Just as Rabbeinu Bachya does in Chovot HaLevavot in Sha'ar HaYichud, where, in discussing the existence of the Creator of the universe, he philosophically demonstrates His existence - that there is One, and there could not possibly be two, for who created the first? And if He is an absolute unity, He cannot be divided, and why there cannot be any other power. In short, it is possible to demonstrate the existence of the Creator through philosophy. Yet the verse comes and says: do not think, "I will walk in the way of the evil - meaning, the way of philosophy - and through it I will attain happiness, because I will prove the truth of the Creator through philosophy." Regarding this it warns, "and do not seek happiness in the way of the evil" - do not imagine that by studying their methods of inquiry and their premises you will reach spiritual happiness, for there is no hope of finding genuine happiness there. The path to happiness is the path of wholesome simplicity and pure faith in Hashem, not the path of philosophy.
As is well known, the Vilna Gaon in Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah, section 179, addresses the words of the Rambam, who wrote concerning the reality of demons, mediums, necromancers, and those who consult the dead, that these are absurdities believed in by ancient peoples, and that demons and mediums do not exist, and all such things are empty vanity with no substance to them. The Vilna Gaon strongly challenges him there: how could one say such a thing? There are explicit Gemaras, there are explicit passages in the Scriptures! Sages interacted with demons and spirits, and we find that they dispatched demons on all sorts of errands - so how can anyone say that the Sages spoke nonsense?
The Vilna Gaon uses a very sharp expression: 'Accursed philosophy seduced him with her vast eloquence.' That is, because the Rambam engaged heavily with philosophy, he viewed matters through a cold, analytical lens, testing them purely with the intellect. Rational analysis left no room for demons and metaphysical phenomena, and so he dismissed them. Philosophy, as it were, swayed him from the proper, upright path. In truth, the accepted view on this matter is not that of the Rambam, but that of the other commentators: that demons and necromancy have tangible reality, and we see there was real power in them. This is what the verse means by 'Do not walk happily (al te'asher) in the path of the wicked' - do not imagine you can attain true happiness through philosophy, which is the way of the wicked, for there is great danger that instead of finding happiness, you will end up led astray.
The Ya'avetz notes that during the persecutions of his time - referring back to five hundred years ago during the Inquisition and the Expulsion from Spain - many people outwardly converted while remaining secretly observant as Anusim (crypto-Jews). Ultimately, almost nothing remained of the vast majority of them, for their children and grandchildren - how long could they remain Anusim? Little by little, they were stripped of their faith and heritage.
The Ya'avetz testifies that during that era, there were simple folk from the masses, and there were philosophers, intellectuals, and scholars. He observes that the simple folk, who possessed pure, unadulterated faith in the Creator of the world, gave their lives for the sanctification of Hashem's Name instantly, without calculations. In contrast, those who believed they had attained a higher grasp of the Divine - having approached Him through intellectual inquiry and rational contemplation - were precisely the ones who sought numerous rationalizations why not to sacrifice their lives: perhaps it was better otherwise, perhaps Hashem desires life, and all manner of calculations to avoid martyrdom, choosing instead to live as Anusim.
This teaches that one must believe in Hashem with simplicity, with wholehearted and pure faith. If one seeks proofs of the Creator's existence to strengthen himself - all the better. But to arrive at faith in Hashem solely through proofs is not the way. First and foremost, one must believe in Hashem. This is why we say in our prayers: 'There is none like our God, there is none like our Master, there is none like our King, there is none like our Deliverer,' and only immediately afterward do we ask: 'Who is like our God? Who is like our Master?' Why ask questions? You already stated 'There is none!' If there is none, why ask 'Who'? Rather, before a person begins asking questions, he must have fundamental axioms: 'I believe with complete faith in the Creator of the world, that He alone created, creates, and will create, and there is none besides Him' - all with wholehearted, pure, and simple faith. Afterwards, if one wishes to bring these truths closer to the intellect, may he be blessed. But if someone says, 'I will investigate first, and if I am convinced, then I will believe in Hashem' - that is a flawed path. Pure, simple faith stands on a far higher level.
We learned that wisdom (chokhmah) has no premises and is acquired only directly from the master of wisdom, whereas understanding (binah) is built from the knowledge we already possess - like a dwarf standing on the shoulders of a giant. We saw the virtues of binding oneself to the Torah: 'Cherish her and she will exalt you, embrace her and she will honor you,' leading to a garland of grace upon the head - an upright, sound mind - and culminating in a crown of glory for generations to come. We examined the difference between instruction in the way of wisdom and guidance in the circles of uprightness, between one who walks according to the letter of the law and one who runs along the path of pious stringency (chassidut), who must be vigilant against stumbling. We also explored the mandate of 'Hold fast to discipline (mussar)' - related to confinement (ma'asar) and grasping tightly onto something poised to slip away, where slackening one's grip for even a single moment could bring down the entire structure. Finally, we saw the warning against the path of the wicked and the course of evil men, and against the notion that inner happiness can be attained through philosophical inquiry - for the true path to happiness lies in complete, pure, and simple faith in the Creator of the world.